New England Patriots linebacker Chase Winovich seemed to be on the verge of his breakout season, with 2.5 sacks in his first four games.
And then he disappeared.
Bill Belichick chalked it up to game planning, with teams like the Buffalo Bills running the ball on New England, which has looked vulnerable to the run, at times. Winovich is more of a pass-rusher. Even so, he has looked like one of the team’s best linebackers, even if he’s got some shortcomings as a run defender. It stood to reason they could put him on the field for running situations, if only because the defense could get much worse in defending the run.
Whatever Belichick’s logic, the coach decided to give Winovich more playing time during Week 9 against the New York Jets.
“It felt great being back out there with the boys,” Winovich said after the Patriots’ 30-27 win. “It was really hard being away the last couple of games, just watching the team from the sideline, really.”
Winovich’s snap count fell from 75% in Week 2 to 19.7% in Week 7 and 8.6% in Week 8. But in Week 9, his time on the field jumped to 67%.
“I can’t really speak much about the game plan, but it was just part of the game plan,” he said of his increased playing time. “I guess you giveth and you taketh. I knew I had to be better on some of my fundamentals, assignments and basic football things. It was a great opportunity for me to go out there and display some of that. I am just happy we got the team win and I could contribute in a positive way.”
[vertical-gallery id=97747]